17. Through

How I made it. 2021, a visual timeline; takeaways; the course for 2022. Special thanks.

“The art was no commodity. You were doing it because you believed in it. There was so much purity and innocence.” —Marina Abramović

“Focus.” Ink and graphite on paper.

Friends,

The other day I realized that I’d written 2020 in the header to a journal entry. So much feels eerily—and wearily—familiar, except for the balmy 59ºF weather last week and a vaccination card with three stamps in it; the passport of our times.

Still, a revolution around the sun—that’s a fact. In this issue, I look at what came of putting one thing on top of another for 365 days. Turns out to be a pretty tall stack! And, I’m surprised to find, the scaffolding of a new life.

Today I’ll share how my transition from being a design consultant to making art full time unfolded over the course of 12 months. Plus, what I learned and what’s next for the newsletter and studio:

• Roll-up

• 2021, a visual timeline

• Takeaways

• 2022

• Special thanks

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There are a lot of images in this post; if you’re reading this in an email it may cut off at the end. Either “view entire message” when you get there, or go read this in full now.

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Roll-up

As 2020 wound on I found myself yearning to create my own content, engage with other artists, have more control over my time. Could I do what I dream? And could that pay the rent? I wanted to start trying.

In January of 2021, I began working on a What’s Next Deck to help me chart the first year of a long game. I leveraged the exercise to review what I know of myself, revise goals, vet ideas, and set myself up for follow-through.

Where I am today against 2021 goals:
✅ Said yes 0 times to distracting opportunities
✅ Finished animating Tuscany early spring (1 min short film)
✅ Submitted it to 10 festivals/publications
↗️ Rejected 9 times, got 1 nod (I’ll take it)
✅ Began animating Chamoe late spring (2 min short film)
↗️ Got it to 40% completion with preliminary sound, lines to 50%
✅ Launched The Line Between (TLB) on Substack
✅ Published every 2 weeks like clockwork
✅ Turned on subscriptions
↗️ Paid for studio equipment and classes with art-only income
✅ Engaged in 2 writer collabs (1 paid)
↗️ Kicked off sound collab (full engagement 2022 🤞)
✅ Watched over 100 animated short films
✅ Read 21 books

I didn’t:
↗️ Reach my EOY subscriber goal—but close! Just shy, by 29 people.
❌ Launch shop: failed to procure key manufacturers.
❌ Publish a book: wasn’t able to prioritize.

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2021, a visual timeline

Highlights, in chronological order. News and life events for broader context and orientation (in italics).

Dec 14, 2020 – Begin brainstorming for 2021
Jan 6, 2021 - Capitol Insurrection
Jan 30 - Present What’s Next Deck to my partner and sounding board

Mar 3 - Finish Tuscany

Begin submissions

Mar 9 - Featured in ILT’s Women of Letters interview series 🙏

Mar 23 - Mint first NFT

Begin interviewing Mom for Chamoe
Mar 30 - Hot vax summer meme in full effect
Apr 1 - Nod from Motionographer for Tuscany-my first industry recognition!

Apr 10 - Receive vaccine no. 1
Apr 11 - Sell first NFT
Apr 15 - Mint second NFT (to crickets)

Apr 26 - Youn Yuh-Jung, first Korean female actor to win Oscar
Apr 27 - Soft launch on Substack

Apr 29 - Begin editing voice track and storyboarding Chamoe

May 1 - Receive vaccine no. 2, first vaxxed social
May 11 - Issue 01 “Gestation”
May 18 - First TLB founding member subscription
May 23 - Announce TLB via Issue 02 “Tourism,” hard launch

Find, vet, organize placeholder sounds; subtitles v1

Jun 8 - Issue 03 “Listening”
Jun 13 - Recommended to animation community by Animation Obsessive 🙏
Jun 15 - 70%+ of adult New Yorkers vaxxed, Cuomo lifts most restrictions
Jun 18 -  Substack spotlight via Animation Obsessive

Jun 22 - Issue 04 “Sustenance”
Jun 23 - Sequence 01 of Chamoe + style primer finished. 320 frames, 13.3s

Jun 29 - 6 month review

Jul 5 - Issue 05 “Seeing”
Jul 13 - Emotional reunion with SF friends after shared loss
Jul 20 - Issue 06 “Night”
Jul 21 - Published in SuperOrganizers

Aug 3 - Issue 07 “Direction”

Aug 10 - Cuomo resigns as governor of NY
Aug 15 - Sequence 02p01 finished. 192 frames, 8s

Aug 17 - Issue 08 “Combustion” (My fav issue of the year)
Aug 19 - Hand-painted thank you cards mailed to early founding members

Aug 30 - U.S. pulls out of Afghanistan
Aug 31 - Issue 09 “Reframing”
Art collab with fellow Substack writer Elle Griffin

Sep 14 - Issue 10 “Obscurity”
Sep 17 - Featured in Books Read By 🙏 (art by Germaine Chong)

Sep 20 - Sequence 02p02 finished. 86 frames, 3.6s

Sep 25 - First time at Broadway in almost 2 years
Sep 28 - Issue 11 “Still” and 11s, first member-only supplemental
Oct 11 - Re-recommended by Animation Obsessive 🙏😭
Oct 12 - Issue 12 “Ruthlessly” and supplemental
Camera work on Sequence 03 outside Photoshop

Oct 26 - Issue 13 “Counterbalance” and supplemental
Nov 1 - Sequence 03p01 finished. 156 frames, 6.5s

Nov 1 - Receive vaccine booster
Nov 2 - Substack writer meet up
Nov 9 - Issue 14 “Inward”
Nov 10 - First conversation with musician for Chamoe collab
Nov 12 - Travel to California, meet nephew

Nov 13 - Crossings world premiere (documentary of a peace mission in North Korea that I participated in)
Nov 23 - Issue 15 “Origins” and supplemental
Dec 3 - Sequence 03p02 finished. 49 frames, 2s

Dec 6 - Studio upgrade paid for by members ❤️ (lamp with phone mount, new laptop)

Dec 7 - Sequence 03 completed in 3 parts. 488 frames total, 20.3s

Dec 9 - Begin studies and lines for Sequence 04
Dec 14 - Convo with folks at Stir, “conceptualizing the future of creative work”
Dec 16 - Issue 16 “Give” and supplemental
Dec 17 - Chamoe 50% finished with lines, 38% finished with color and texture

Dec 18 - Begin retro!!
Dec 20 - Omicron accounts for over 90% of cases in NY. Restaurant closures increase.
Dec 21 - Last (this) issue of 2021 ✨

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2021 Takeaways

My biggest takeaway from the past 12 months is holy shit I’m actually doing this!

Studio wall.

I stuck to what I wanted to make, not what I thought people wanted to see.
I was afraid that having “investors” (people who pay for The Line Between) would influence what I write about and how. I struggled with this for a long time but I’m increasingly invested in growing an audience that fits me, not the other way around. The fact that memberships have been substantial enough to pay for big studio expenses this year, as well as to finance a soundtrack to Chamoe in 2022, has been thrilling and reaffirming.

I gave members more instead of giving free subscribers less.
When I first thought about memberships, I thought I’d split each issue in half, sending the first as a teaser to free subscribers and the unabridged version to paying subscribers (members). I ended up writing bonus content for members instead, while keeping main newsletters fully available to all. Everyone gets to see the show, but members get backstage passes. Everyone gets value. I hope that’s how it’s been feeling for you. 

I’m going with the flow.
I’m a huge fan of iteration. TLB is turning out to be a larger conversation about making art and the practices that nourish it (versus just animation). I played (and continue to play) with structure, framework, down to smaller things like headers and footers which change almost every issue. I wrote a bit about direction in an eponymous issue, and would still like to dive into some of those ideas.

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2022

Priority one is to chill out for the holidays after I send this out. I recently finished lines for the fourth, quite meaty sequence of Chamoe and want to be able to look at it with fresh eyes.

I think I’ll make granola with dried cherries and coconut chips, watch the new Matrix movie (as bad as I imagine it’ll be), read Anil’s Ghost while hanging out with my partner, and try to make it to 2022 without getting sick.

Quick thoughts on the upcoming year:

• Finish Chamoe 🤞 I technically have until May to make my “one film a year” goal.

• Promote, rest, experiment. Play with shorter-term commitments.

• Integrate the blockchain into my membership offering? Fun to explore.

• TLB is still primarily a monologue while I crave dialogue and critique. This could point to pursuing fellowships and residencies.

Lastly, I want to grow my audience and get the word out more.

Public speaking about process and creativity might be fun. My work as performance, a la Pop Up Magazine or Moth Radio Hour? Get on a podcast? (What I do and make may not cleanly fit into an existing bucket; this is both an anxiety and a delight.)

I heartily welcome suggestions and ideas! Feel free to send by email or comment 🙏

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Special thanks

Writing The Line Between has been immensely rewarding. I reconnected with old friends and colleagues. I’ve been bowled over by the emotional and financial support I received. 

I honestly thought I’d only have a few founding members, but they comprise almost 40% of my paid subscriptions. Some have paid many times the suggested amount for founding membership. What blows me away even more is that many of these folks are not even family or close friends.

In an age of discouragement and division, I feel recognized and unalone in my belief that art and dreams are worth supporting. Special thanks to:

Jared Erondu, my brilliant partner and closest friend. Thanks for sanity-checking every issue, and for being my biggest cheerleader ❤️

Folks at Animation Obsessive. Thank you for recommending TLB multiple times this year! I learn so much from your incredible newsletter and appreciate our exchanges.

And of course, members, friends, and family:
Thanks for for investing in me—even if animation may not have been a high topic of interest for you! You helped me set a solid foundation for The Line Between in its inaugural year and I feel incredibly blessed.

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Ok that’s A WRAP!!

Everything feels surreal and strange! Happy holidays! Thanks for reading!

I’ll be back in the new year with an update on Chamoe. A lot of work remains but things should move faster now that there’s no overhead + I hope to hand sound off to a professional 😎

The next issue will likely come to you mid January. I hope you manage to stay healthy, and that you can indulge in a quiet moment alone before welcoming 2022.

Until next time.